Wet Weather Karting

Tips and Tricks that will help you cross the line first in Wet Weather!

The Winter weather is very unpredictable. One day it can be sunny and a bit chilly, the next you’ll be swimming to the shops. This kind of weather can normally make any kind of Karter nervous! However, you shouldn’t be! If anything, karting in these sorts of wet conditions will make you an overall better Karter! We encourage you to get out there at least once because Wet Weather Karting can be a whole lot of fun!

And after reading this blog, you’ll have no reason not to!

Where to Start?

Learning a few simple yet effective tips and tricks on how to Kart in Wet Weather will have you looking forward to taking on all elements in our new 390CC Karts.

The first thing you need to do is, forget about being cautious on the brakes, don’t turn gently with the steering. With these tips, you could stomp on the brakes and snap the steering wheel.

Find the Wet Line for Wet Weather Go Karting

So, is the fastest line around the track in the wet the same as in the dry? 99% of the time the answer is no. We can’t tell you the exact wet line for every track, but if your Wet Weather Karting at our International Circuit, we can give you a pretty good place to start. In the dry, the best grip is normally found on the normal racing line, and that is where all the tyre rubber gets laid down giving even more grip. But when it rains, rubber is, obviously, slippery- so you have to go and find a new line where there is no rubber. Normally it’s on the outside of the corner. If you’re planning an adult karting event or junior go-karting at our International Circuit, then take a look at the circuit before you drive, you can easily see the darker racing line covered in rubber, and where you can see a lighter colour there isn’t so much rubber….and in the wet that’s where you want your kart to be! Keep those observations in mind when driving in the wet. You will find you need to experiment using the wet line, and there will be more than one way round on a wet line. You have to go out there and, by using trial and error, you’ll have to find where that grip is and that is pretty much it with the wet line…not such a mystery after all!

Wet Driving Techniques that really work!

For a kart to work and get you around a corner it needs to lift the rear wheel on the inside of the kart, and to do that it needs a certain amount of grip to get the chassis to roll over toward the outside front wheel. In the wet, you find there is nowhere near enough grip to get a kart to do that easily…..so we have to force the kart to tip!

Here’s how we go about forcing the kart to work how we need it to:

Say, that you are approaching a tight 90 degree left bend, what do you do?

When you brake hit the pedal in a short sharp motion, enough to get the rear tyres to lock almost and bite into the track. A nice gentle push on the brake just will not do, it just kills the kart. We want the kart to feel quite lively, and you need to get it working and biting so you can get a feel for the grip. You also want to reduce the amount of time on the brakes! The braking needs to be out of the way before you turn in.

Remember we are taking a wet line AWAY from the rubber. So, we turn into the boot very very late. Then, when you turn the wheel you need to snap it into full lock…hard and fast.

Now, the kart doesn’t turn and spin….you turned the wheel so fast and it’s like you shocked it into a huge understeer. But, you are also getting maximum jacking effect from the front end and when the kart finds a bit of grip it will turn….and it will turn very sharp. Also, since the front end is sliding, it is slowing you down too, acting like front brakes.

When you snap that steering wheel around, you will naturally need to lean forward a little because turning the wheel will extend your reach. This is a good thing! You should lean forward and towards the outside of the kart. In doing that, you are taking weight from the rear and putting it over the front, which helps the kart to lift that rear inside wheel.

When you get the timing right, you will find the kart turns quite hard and sharp, that’s when you need to get your weight back over the rear wheels. Get the steering as straight as possible and then accelerate away! Remember to introduce the power gradually feeling for traction…always being careful to get as much traction as possible.

That’s it! Now that you’ve committed these wet weather karting tips to memory, come down to Lakeside Karting in Essex to get some outdoor karting practice in and release the champion within you! We have the largest and fastest go-karting track in Essex and the South East, open all year round and in all weathers for adult karting and junior go-karting.